A 23-year-old man was found dead under a Kentucky waterfall Thursday, authorities said. They believe he slipped and fell while walking his dog along a trail that loops above the falls, which cascade more than 100 feet up and down, according to the city’s tourism department. the state.
The man was identified as Isaac Lee Turpin, the McCreary County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. He was from Somerset, a town about a 45-minute drive from Yahoo Falls, where hikers discovered his body. McCreary County Sheriff David Sampson described the hikers as an “out-of-town family” who called the dispatch center to report “a deceased male individual” submerged in water at the foot Yahoo Falls. He was still carrying what looked like a tactical backpack, they said.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene and recovered Turpin’s body. They confirmed at the time that he was dead. Sampson said their assessment of the incident suggests Turpin was hiking the Yahoo Falls trailhead with his dog when the animal suddenly got loose. It appears Turpin tried to catch the dog and accidentally fell into the falls to his death, officials said.
The McCreary County Coroners Office removed Turpin’s body from the scene, the sheriff said. An autopsy will be performed by the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort.
The National Park Service said it was also investigating the incident, since Yahoo Falls is part of the larger Big South Fork National Park. Considered the steepest waterfall in Kentucky, it drops 113 feet into a large rock house and pool below, according to the state. Several hiking trails surround the waterfall, including one that takes visitors through a complete loop around the falls, from the top of the hill from where it descends to the bottom of the creek at its base. Yahoo Falls is most abundant in spring.
The Kentucky Department of Tourism describes the one-mile loop around the falls as “moderate difficulty” but says its “brevity makes it a relatively easy hike” that can be completed in less than a day. hour.
“Hiking the loop clockwise means hikers will descend steeply to the waterfall and gradually ascend back to the summit. Counterclockwise means a gradual descent toward the waterfall and steep steps to go back up,” says the tourism department. He notes that “the steep metal stairs at the falls can be difficult for some hikers.”
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